Big questions about safety at a number of big housing developments across the region remain unanswered.

Concerns have been raised about crucial fire safety barriers in homes built by Persimmon Homes, the developer of more than six big housing estates across Devon and South West.

Nine months after a big fire at the Greenacres Estate prompted concerns about the installation of fire safety barriers in the new build homes, we still don't know how many properties have been affected and if there are similar issues at developments across Devon and the South West.

Questions were first raised after a fire was able to spread to adjoining properties when a cigarette sparked a blaze at a house in Trafalger Road.

It prompted nearby resident Paul Frost to check fire safety barriers in his own property and since then hundreds of homes have been checked as a 'precautionary measure'.

After we reported on these stories, a whistleblower came forward to claim that there could well be problems at other Persimmon developments, including Coverdale, Paignton, Harford Mews, Ivybridge and Hill Barton Vale, Exeter.

But we have not been able to confirm the extent of the problem with homes built by Persimmon Homes, despite repeated requests for clarification.

However, in a new statement from the company, it told us that it is taking the matters very seriously.

She said: "We have therefore proactively instigated a robust inspection regime of the wider region and have introduced additional checking and monitoring processes."

That still leaves the question of just how many homes in the region have been caught up in concerns over fire safety.

Now, DevonLive Business has outlined what we do and don't know about the ongoing Persimmon saga.

Watch Paul Frost explain the safety issues he exposed at his Exeter home

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How did the problem first come to light?

Greenacres resident Paul Frost, who has 30 years experience in the building trade, started making his own enquiries after a ferocious fire at a nearby house was able to spread to adjoining properties.

Concerned about fire safety barriers in the roof and cavity walls of his own home, he found that they were missing. He approached the National House Building Council (NHBC) and in their report, shared with Devon Live, agreed that the missing barriers at Mr Frost’s property posed an 'imminent risk to health and safety', and there was a breach of building regulations.

Persimmon Homes promptly rectified the issue at Mr Frost's home with 24 hours but concern was then raised about how many other properties could be similarly affected.

Paul Frost, who lives at Greenacres in Exeter, has been collecting evidence after fire safety concerns were raised about properties built by Persimmon Homes

How many other homes at Greenacres are affected?

We don't know officially. However, we do know that after Mr Frost's complaint, Persimmon sent a letter to 88 residents on the estate informing them it was carrying out voluntary checks within the Greenacres development due to safety concerns.

The letter said: “We are conducting a check of roof spaces on your development to make sure the roof space cavity has been installed correctly following a recent inspection within the development."

Persimmon Homes told us earlier this month that it is undertaking checks of all properties on the development.

And on Friday it confirmed that a complete check of every property on the Newcourt development, which is part of the wider Greenacres site, is currently underway.

She said: "To date more than 400 properties have been inspected. However, while investigations are live we are not in a position to advise of the results."

That means we still don't know yet how many of the properties, if any, have been found to have a fault with fire barriers.

However, Mr Frost carried out his own straw poll. He found that of 135 residents who told him their inspection findings, he says 65 per cent have currently failed across the whole housing development.

When broken down by the age of properties, 50 out of 76 built within the past five years failed, amounting to a 65 per cent fail rate.

Out of homes built five to nine years ago, 38 out of 58 failed which is also a 65 per cent fail rate, according to Mr Frost's data.

Mr Frost met with Simon Perks, MD of Persimmon South West and Richard Oldroyd, MD of Persimmon Homes Southern Region, at the end of last year. He said they told him that 44 per cent of the 290 so far inspected homes on the Greenacres/Newcourt development site had failed inspections.

There are about 700 homes on the development, many of the first homes built in 2010/11, including the show home, have failed.

The whistleblower said: “People need to be aware it has affected more than one development. I can name six sites where it has gone on."

The six sites allegedly affected are:

Coverdale, Paignton

Harford Mews, Ivybridge

Hill Barton Vale, Exeter

Agusta Park, Yeovil

Heathfield Gardens, Monkton Heathfield, Taunton

Chilmark Glade, Shaftesbury

In response to suggestions that the problem could be more widespread, Persimmon have told DevonLive that it has 'proactively instigated a robust inspection regime of the wider region and have introduced additional checking and monitoring processes.

She said: “We have carried out a full check of every property under construction that is either complete or that has the roof and brickwork constructed, and checks are ongoing at existing properties."

But we still don't know the results of those findings and if properties at these developments are also affected.

Samuel Maule, said that concerns were raised after his snake, called Satan, was able to hide away in the ceiling space between Samuel’s one bed flat and the one above.

Social housing provider LiveWest, which owns the flats, is said to have carried out an inspection of the property. Samuel claims it was found to be missing fire safety barriers, as were all the other flats in the block, and that they have all since been fitted with them.

We have not been able to confirm what happened with LiveWest.

But Persimmon Homes have told us that the python wasn't able to access the roof space, saying: “To clarify reports of a python escaping from a property on one of our developments, our investigations confirm that the snake did not get into the roof space nor did it bridge any cavity barriers.”

The National House Building Council told us it has not received any contacts or claims concerning fire safety barriers at Hill Barton Vale.

Could the problem be even bigger?

We simply don't know for sure the extent of the issue. The whistleblower told us that they feared it could be a national problem.

And Mr Frost, the Greenacres resident who has done so much investigation work, said that he fears that it is not just an issue with Persimmon but with the sector as a whole.

He said: “The way forward is to encourage better quality construction and certainly the installation of heat sensors in roof voids, as a minimum outcome of this horrific situation of risking peoples lives for what can only be seen as better profits.”

What happens next?

Persimmon Homes has said that it is currently reviewing its inspection regime.

The spokesman said: "Alongside existing procedures that are checked by an independent body to confirm compliance with the relevant technical standards, we have implemented a number of additional controls including photographic reference and designated property responsibility."

In the meantime, Mr Frost is starting a nationwide campaign to highlight the issues he has uncovered and was due to meet with government ministers this month, calling for parliament to consider a new direction to encourage developers to build better quality homes.

Mr Frost said: “I want to try to make this a national campaign of some of sorts, to at least help to reduce the possibility of loss of life."

And Persimmon Homes said it has a dedicated team in place to deal with any remedial works that are required, and customers on any of its developments can make contact at any time.

DevonLive will continue to highlight your concerns and put the questions you want answering to Persimmon Homes.